using the zone system for color...?

[Stephen Longmire]

Seems to me you're confusing brightness with color temperature, Heather. You've gotten plenty of good advice above about color materials, their resistance to manipulation compared to b&w. Metering off a gray card never hurt anyone, and assessing the brightness range of the situation with your spot meter realative to the brightness range of your film is a must. (Working with several color transparency films, I've found they do vary on this point). But if your question is really about how to apply zone system thinking to the situation, it seems to me the answer is that, for the purposes of exposure, you want to see it in b&w, paying attention only to brightness. You can certainly take advantage of the vital zone system concepts of "place" and "fall" to manipulate the exposure to look the way you'd like. That said, of course color provides depth where contrast does in b&w. So images that would look flat in b&w may work because of color--but this is not really a matter of exposure. Some photographers go nuts reading color temperature in b&w, since film "sees" certain colors more intensely than others. They're effectively asking the same question you are in b&w. Many photographers survive without worrying about this, in b&w and color. Best of luck,

[Graeme Hird]

For Trannies, meter something that you want to be white and call it Zone VII, or something the tone of your palm and call it Zone VI.

Or use an incident meter .....

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Hi there:

"How do i know what zone yellow is, or what shade green should be?"

It's a different way of looking, you're not using tone for contrast but color. All of the advice here is great but you didn't say if you are using C-41 or E-6, negs or trannies.

You can not manipulate color films like B&W but you can use contrast masks with both C-41 and E-6. A bit of work but worth it. C-41 has a lot more latitude to play with.

Have fun with it.

[Paul Butler]

I must place another vote for using the 18% grey card to meter. It is very easy to make something that should be simple and straightforward into a horrifically complicated process. All you need to do to get a good e-6 exposure is to become proficient and determining where to put the grey card when you meter (i.e., in direct unfiltered light, in partial shadow, etc.), after a careful examination of all of the subject matter in the field of view.

With a little practice, you can get good exposures reliably, and in a matter of seconds, using the grey card. I recommend that everyone keep one in their equipment bag at all times.

[pdwcolumbus]

you can also meter your hand facing the sky in shadow and stop down two stops. This would place it in zone 4.

[Juergen Sattler]

I do like the Chromazone System and use it all the time - it comes with a set of colored cards that will help you to "see" the different zones and the impact it'll have on your exposure. It's a clever system and after a while you won't need the cards any more, because you have learnt how to see. It works great and is rather inexpensive. It has the biggest impact when you shoot slides (because there is little latitude) but works equally well for negative film.

Juergen